The present invention relates to an optical disk player having a magazine for storing disks which permits the playing of selected disks from the magazine, and more particularly, to a disk player having a disk reader for reading selected disks which are partially withdrawn from the magazine thereby permitting a compact construction.
Disk players having magazines for storing disks typically provide a selecting apparatus for transporting a selected disk from the magazine and to a disk reader or an ejection position. One such disk player is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,001. The disclosed disk player provides carriages for holding disks which are transported between independent ejection, playback, and storage positions, wherein the storage position has a selected disk positioned within the magazine. The disks are arranged in concentrically within the magazine and the magazine moves in a first direction perpendicular to the disks relative to a disk reader. Disks are transported in a straight line in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Disks in the playback position are completely removed from the magazine and each of the positions to which disks are transported, ejection, playback, and storage, are distanced from each other.
In the above embodiment, the disks are held on carriages within the magazine. A selected carriage is transported from within the magazine to a playback position outside the magazine where the selected carriage is held on a tray. When the carriage holds a selected disk and is in the playback position, a disk reader can accept the selected disk for playing. Alternatively, the tray can then transport the selected carriage to the ejection position outside the chassis of the disk player so that the selected disk may be removed from the carriage carried by the tray, or, a disk may be inserted into an empty carriage carded by the tray. The carriage is then transported by the tray to the playback position. Once at the playback position, a disk in the carriage is played or the carriage is removed from the tray and returned to the magazine.
While the above design provides for efficiency in operation, the locations of the eject, playback, and storage positions do not permit a compact design. The depth of the disk player is large since transportation of the carriage is done in a straight line between three distinct positions. One alternative is to position the magazine to the side of the playback position instead of in-line with the playback position. This alternative however does not permit efficient design of the transport mechanism because transport from the magazine to the playback position is in a different direction than transport from the playback to the eject position thereby requiting redundant mechanisms which increase the cost of production. Therefore, an alternative design is sought which permits a reduction in the depth of the disk player.
Another disk playing device is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 4-38659 filed by the present applicant. In the disclosed device, a tray is used to carry a disk from an eject position outside the disk player to a loading position inside the disk player. The disk is then transported from the loading position to a holding position. The two mechanisms providing this two stage transport, the tray transport and carriage transport mechanisms share a common drive source. A shuttle member is initially connected to the tray to drive the tray from the eject position to the loading position where the tray then remains. Once at the loading position, the shuttle member disengages from the tray and engages a carriage holding the disk to transport the disk to the holding position. Thus, the shuttle requires an extended range of travel to transport a disk from the eject position to the holding position. The shuttle is driven by a wire fixed to the shuttle and which is driven by a motor. Additionally, a locking mechanism is provided to hold the tray at the loading position. The assembly of this disk player required that a difficult procedure be performed wherein the wire is stretched out and threaded throughout the two transport mechanisms. In addition to being difficult the procedure increases the cost of production. Therefore, a design is desired wherein separate mechanisms transport the tray and the carriage without the need for a wire driven shuttle. Furthermore, such a design requires a disengagement mechanism for disengaging the tray transport means for the tray once the tray has reached the loading position. The disengagement mechanism must isolate a drive to the tray transport mechanism.